| 摘 要： | OPINION Online Opinion or Public Opinion? China's cyberspace was stirred up recently by a statement made by Fan Gang, a famed Chinese economist. "The majority of farmers and migrant workers don't surf the Internet, so the opinion of netizens doesn't equal the opinion of the general public...online opinions shouldn't drive government decision-making," Fan said. China has more than 100 million netizens of its total population of 1.3 billion, and what can be closer to the public opinion in the country than the voices of 100 million people? Besides, many of these people have friends or relatives who are farmers and migrant workers. So far, many of the online opinions, such as those against corruption or seeking social justice, are expressed not only on behalf of netizens but also for the farmers and migrant workers who can't make their voices heard because they don't surf the net. The Internet is a new platform for people to express themselves. On this point, the Internet has much merit, and so do China's netizens. Online opinions may be references for government decision-making, but in fact, no government would design policy simply by following the public opinion. Decision-making is a scientific process and listening to online opinions is only one way to hear all parties. People's Daily Hua Dong News
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